Yemeni Armed Forces shoot down US MQ-9 drone, 3rd in 1 week
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The spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces announced that Yemeni air defenses successfully targeted and downed the American drone.
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The American MQ-9 Reaper drone on fire after it was shot down by the Yemeni Armed Forces (Yemeni Armed Forces Military Media)
The Yemeni Armed Forces have documented the wreckage of a US MQ-9 drone that was shot down over Al-Jawf province on Wednesday, according to footage released by the Yemeni Military Media.
The Military Media also shared updated figures regarding US drones of this type that have been downed across various provinces, revealing that Yemeni forces have brought down 22 MQ-9 drones in total. Of these, 18 were downed during the "Promised Conquest and Sacred Jihad" campaign in support of Gaza.
مشاهد حطام الطائرة الأمريكية MQ_9 التي تم إسقاطها في أجواء محافظة الجوف بصاروخ أرض-جو محلي الصنع بتاريخ 2025/04/09 pic.twitter.com/EgngVmqQXz
— الإعلام الحربي اليمني (@MMY1444) April 9, 2025
Earlier today, the spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announced that Yemeni air defenses successfully targeted and downed the American drone, with footage of the wreckage later made public.
Saree stated that this marks the third US MQ-9 drone shot down within the past 10 days. He stressed that the ongoing operations come in direct response to continuous US aggression against Yemen and reaffirmed that Yemeni forces remain committed to supporting Gaza through their military operations.
US airstrikes kill, injure scores of civilians
The US-led aggression on Yemen targeted several locations with airstrikes on Tuesday, killing several people as rescue missions continue to extract people from under the rubble.
A US airstrike on a residential area in the al-Hawak district in Hodeidah killed four people and injured 16 others, according to a preliminary toll, with the Yemeni Ministry of Health stating that some casualties are still trapped under the rubble as rescue operations are underway.
Local sources told Al Mayadeen that four families are still under the rubble and debris of the US-led aggression on the residential neighborhood in al-Hawak District.
Continuous efforts are underway to recover and rescue victims of the airstrikes on the Amin Muqbil residential neighborhood in al-Hawak District, the sources added, highlighting the civil defense teams' search and rescue efforts.
Earlier on Tuesday morning, US forces carried out over 20 airstrikes across Yemen, targeting the capital, Sanaa, as well as the cities of Hodeidah and Marib.
Despite the intensified aggression and waves of airstrikes targeting Yemen, reports indicate that Ansar Allah's arsenal remains safe, with military operations costing the US billions of dollars without any clear achievements.
US spending billions on Yemen strikes with limited impact
Although US President Donald Trump has described Ansar Allah as “decimated” by what the Pentagon has dubbed Operation Rough Rider, launched on March 15, military and intelligence officials speaking to Congress and allies in private briefings admit that most of the Yemenis' vast underground arsenal of missiles and drones remains intact.
CNN revealed that the military offensive against Sanaa has cost the US nearly $1 billion in less than three weeks, despite the limited impact the strikes have had on Yemeni capabilities.
The Yemeni Armed Forces recently conducted two major military operations: One targeting Tel Aviv with a Yaffa-type drone and the other targeting two US Navy warships with several cruise missiles and drones, according to an announcement by the spokesperson for the YAF Brig. Gen. Yehya Saree on April 7.
In his announcement, General Saree affirmed that the US crimes against the people of Yemen and the targeting of civilian facilities "confirm the enemy's failure to achieve its objectives," highlighting that "these crimes will only increase the Yemenis' steadfastness and adherence to their unwavering position in support of the Palestinian people."
![Ansar Allah leader Sayyed Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi during a speech in Sanaa, Yemen, August 7, 2025 (Al Mayadeen screengrab)\](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/8/7/a2ede8ef-8a7d-46a0-91a5-69a216c3ece6/1.jpg?format=webp "Ansar Allah leader Sayyed Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi during a speech in Sanaa, Yemen, August 7, 2025 (Al Mayadeen screengrab)\")